Convincing Karen
by Spartacus1997
Summary: What if you had another chance? If you could have a clean slate, a new beginning? If you were free of the past? But what if you were picked up by the wrong people? What if they hired you for a job you thought was wrong? In a place that sickened you? What if they made you help them? What if you had no choice? And what if you found your soulfinder in the one place you didn't want to.
1. New Beginnings and Old Paybacks

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I'm really sorry about the last story. Honestly. I dont like giving things up when I know people are reading but it didn't have the flow I needed, I wasn't driven to writing it.**

**But this one, well, this is another story. I love the idea of this one. It's different, that's for sure. But I think the idea's brilliant, even if I do say so myself. Just give it a chance.**

**Now, it's longer than normal, about double the length of the others. It may not stay like that, I just needed to introduce things.**

**I have to ignore all the other stories, pretend they haven't happened. So, Sky and Zed, Yves and Phee, Xav and Crystal, and Trace and Diamond. They are all together. But ignore Will and Kate, Victor and Marian and Uriel and Sarah.**

**Hope you like it.**

* * *

"You're a lucky bugger, you know that right?" A sullen looking man said to another man on the other side of the room.

This man smiled, "I do James. Now wipe that look off your face, I'll keep in touch."

James laughed bitterly. "I'm serious. You got life, pretty much."

His friend turned and picked up a worn jacket from the iron bedstead by the wall. "30 years."

James shrugged. "That _is_ life. And it's been, what, three years? That's mad. If my dad had a ton of cash, he still wouldn't do what your's did for you."

The jacket slid up the thin but strong arms of his friend. "The Kelly's won't be stumped just because they got sent to prison."

"Sean, your sister assaulted a prison officer, that put paid to any of _her_ chances of getting out. And your dad's dead."

Sean nodded sharply and started putting on a blue tie that he picked up from the bedside table. "But there's a difference. Maria was stupid, she was proud and impulsive. She deserves what she got. And dad," He paused and looked into a plastic mirror to straighten the tie. "Well, he was just fat. Cardiac arrest was knocking at his door."

James got up and handed Sean a threadbare satchel. "You're not really one to talk about fat Sean. When you came in I thought you'd get stuck in the door."

Sean ran a hand through his wiry black hair. "But it's different now. I mean, look at me."

The pair surveyed Sean's lean physique and smiled nostalgically. "Keep it like that hey?" James held out the bag to his dapper looking friend. "I haven't spent the last three years straitening you out for nothing."

Sean slung the bag over his shoulder and smiled at his friend. "I know James. Seriously, I know. I'm working on it. I'm going to change my last name. I can't be Sean Kelly any more. I'll choose something else like Danes. Then I'm going to find out when my parole's happening, and work from there. I'll get what work I can and keep away from any of my dad's friends. New life."

James clapped him on the shoulder. "Make it work. It's the only one you're gonna have. God, three years paid from thirty. You sneaky, lucky, lucky bugger."

Sean smiled at him, his best friend. The guy who'd turned him around, made him better. "I'll keep in touch."

There was a clang behind them of the prison bars being pulled back. The men turned to see Roy, a prison guard, standing by the gate.

"Time to go Kelly. You're out of here."

Sean turned to James, who was getting a little teary, despite his huge burly persona. "I'll see you when you're out. Maybe I'll come and visit."

James nodded and pulled his best friend into a hug. "I won't be out for a while. Still got ten years on the clock. Not everyone gets a second chance." He backed away and stared hard at Sean. "Use it, don't mess up again."

Sean smiled and nodded. "I promise. I'll make you proud."

Roy cleared his throat loudly behind them. "Come on, anyone would think you want to stay."

Sean grinned at James and stepped back. "Don't go getting into any fights while I'm not there to keep an eye on you."

James stepped forward when Roy pulled the gate across, separating him from Sean in the lonely prison cell. He wrapped his arms through the bars, leaning against them to shout down the corridor. "Make it work Sean Danes!"

Sean waved over his shoulder as Roy led him away with a hard grip on his elbow.

Many prisoners whistled and called out from their cells at him, some waving him away, others cursing the luck.

As the prison door opened Sean took a deep breathe of clean, fresh air and saw birds wheeling in the sky, mothers hurrying past with prams and a hundred things on their minds, cars whizzing past on their way to something. He could feel the energy and emotion in everything. Roy was tired, bored of looking after criminals but happy that one had cleaned up.

He patted Sean's shoulder awkwardly. "Off you go then Kelly, don't go getting into no trouble now that you're out."

Sean smiled at him, the relief of being free showing on his face. "I won't Roy, I'll make sure of that."

Roy nodded and stepped back, closing the door softly behind him.

There was silence as Sean turned and surveyed the scene before him.

He took a step.

Then another.

And another.

He was free, free of everything. His dad was dead, his sister festering in a self-inflicted solitary cell. He had the world on his doorstep. With a little cash slipped to a judge he was out.

James' words rang in his ears. _Don't mess up Sean, this is your second chance._

Sean breathed deeply again and smiled. He'd turn it around. He'd clean up, get a job, find somewhere to live, maybe find his soulfinder. The world was his for the taking.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his satchel and looked at it. His parole dates were labelled clearly with a place next to it. He had to stay in Las Vegas, for at least a year. His next parole was in a week. One whole week, all his.

He tucked the paper away in his bag and squared his shoulders, ready to walk into the world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A few miles away, in the suburbs of Las Vegas, it was growing dark. A cat streaked across the pavement of a cul-de-sac full of little houses with lace curtains and fireplaces.

A family were sitting down to dinner in the house at the end. A chubby middle aged man pulled out a chair for his wife and she smiled suspiciously at him. "Michael, what's going on? You never make dinner. And you got that dress for Karen, what's the occasion?"

The girl they called Karen came into the room wearing the said dress. The red skirt flirted around her knees and buttoned up to her collar bones with pearl buttons. The colour went well with her chestnut hair and Labrador eyes. She had lipstick that matched the dress and she twirled as she entered the room, happiness and laughter making her glow. "Dad, it's beautiful, thank you so much! I can't wait to show Patty and Meg. Honestly, I love it." She kissed Michael on the cheek and sat down opposite her mother.

A young man came into the room, the light shining off hair that matched his sister's. "Some one's bubbly." He pulled out his chair and sat, patting his mother's had and winking at Karen. "New dress?"

Karen beamed at him. "Indeed, and how are you today brother mine?"

The man shrugged. "Not bad, you?"

Michael sat and cleared his throat. "Tom, good day?"

Before he could answer his mother tutted. "Tom, your father is spoiling Karen and me and we want to know why." She smiled at her daughter. "First the dress, then making dinner. And I know for a fact he's sprinkled rose petals on our bed."

Her husband went a rosy shade of red while his son hooted with laughter.

"Dad, a true Casanova, didn't know you still had it in you." Tom raised his water glass to his cherry red father.

"Shush Tom," Karen threw her napkin at him. "I think it's romantic, well done Dad." She nodded approvingly and smiled conspiratorially at her mother. "In for a long night then Mum?"

Her mother raised her chin. "I fail to see how it's any business of yours." She said haughtily, trying to hide the smile. "But it's all very suspicious and I demand an explanation Michael."

Michael put his fork down, swallowing a large chunk of pasta. "Well, I had a message a couple of days ago at work."

His family waited in anticipation. "And?" Karen was bobbing about in her chair, ignoring her dinner and acting lively for her twenty four years.

Michael smiled. "Some one's invested in us." He said simply.

There was a cheer from his son and his daughter and wife clapped and squealed. "Finally!"

He laughed, relief showing plainly on his face. "And it means we won't have to worry anymore. I promise."

He reached out and took his wife's hand. "I mean it Jude."

There was a tender, loving look shared between the couple and their daughter watched. "I know you do." Jude said warmly.

"Must have been a lot Dad." Tom started eating again, spearing a piece of pasta with his fork. "You were nearly at rock bottom."

His father looked at his plate awkwardly. "It was a lot, maybe too much. But I know that I can pay it back eventually. They've given me a forward of a year on the loan, and it's a done deal from there."

Karen threw all worry out the window as she raised her glass, the red wine matching her dress. "Congratulations Dad, you did it. I always knew you would."

Her father leant forward and kissed her cheek. "My little cheerleader."

They all drank. The happiness was high in the room, making the atmosphere light and warm.

That was until they heard a crash at the door.

Michael and Tom jumped up and looked through the door warily. "Hello?" Tom called, frowning and reaching out to the door handle.

His father grabbed his arm and held it back. "No Tom, don't."

Tom looked confused. His wife and Karen moved around the table and frowned at him. "Dad, what's wrong?"

Michael was visibly shaking and there were beads of sweat around his hairline. "It's too soon." He whispered to himself. "They promised me a year."

There was another crash behind the door and footsteps were heard in the hall.

"They're in the house!" His wife wrapped an arm around her daughter and looked around panicky. "Michael, what's going on?"

Michael looked over at his wife. Karen was still clutching her napkin, fear was in her eyes and she had folded herself into her mother's body.

Tom squared his shoulders and reached for the door. "Dad," He said quietly. "I won't let them hurt Mum, or Karen. Whoever they are, they need to go."

Michael wiped at his brow. "No, you can't stop them." He turned to his wife. "Go, take Karen and go. _Now_, leave as fast as you can by the back door and _don't_ come back. I mean it."

"What?" Karen stepped out of her mother's arms, fear turning to anger and confusion. "Dad, who _are_ they? Why do we need to go?"

The footsteps came closer to the door.

"_Please_ just go! I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. Just please go!" Her father was crying, "You have such a powerful gift, it can help so many people. But you won't be able to if they find you."

Karen frowned. "What does my healing have to do with anything?"

Her father lurched forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Go."

"_No_!" She said, overly loud. The footsteps stopped outside the door.

Tom swore and gripped the handle. He picked up a vase from the side table and looked over his shoulder. "Get down."

Jude took Karen's hand and pulled her to the other side of the room. Michael was sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He shook.

Tom yanked open the door and immediately stumbled back. He stood still by the table, swaying slightly with a look of shock on his face. His raised hand slackened and the vase dropped to the floor, shattering. Like a puppet, he collapsed to his knees and fell forward, a red hole in the back of his skull, blood pouring out.

Karen screamed.

The room was filled with a cacophony of shooting and yells. Men in black suits swarmed in with guns pointed at anything.

Jude was screaming as she clutched her daughter to her, still staring at her son's lifeless body. Karen watched in horror, speechless, not even able to cry out as the men grabbed her father from where he'd collapsed into the corner.

"You made a fool of us Bolton! We don't get humiliated lightly." A huge man spat into Michael's face as he cried and cowered.

"We had a deal." He sobbed. "A year, you said a year."

The man laughed, a bitter sound ricocheting around Karen's mind, filling her with images of a broken childhood and obsessions of paying the world back. "There was a change of plan. And Bolton, you're overdue."

"No." Michael went pale, his life blood falling to his shoes. "No please. You've already taken my son. Not my wife and girl too."

Jude let out a whimper from where they were crouched under the table and a pair of booted feet turned and walked towards them.

Karen's mind was drowned with feelings and images of various mental states of the men in the room, they had a range of different problems, all of them mental. There was a kleptomaniac, a secret transvestite and a couple of psychopaths. This was not a safe array of people.

The table was ripped away from above their heads, soiling food on the floor and shattering the glasses. Two hands grabbed her arms and started dragging her towards the door.

She started to scream, kicking as hard as she could and clawing at the man's hands. The hem of her scarlet dress snagged on the shards of Tom's vase and tumbled over his lifeless shoulders.

Jude was grabbed and dragged after her daughter. "Michael!" She screamed. "Michael!"

"I'm sorry! I'll find you, I'll get you out!" He yelled after her as the man threw him to the floor and pointed a gun at his forehead.

The last thing Karen saw as she was thrown into a cold van outside, was a flash through the curtains and the echoing sound of a gunshot. She had time to scream, "Dad!" before she was clubbed over the head with the butt of a man's pistol, and the world went dark.

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What do you think?

I hope you like it, I'm really excited about writing it.

Please tell me your first impressions, it would help so much.

**Also, at the start of every chapter I will do a recommendation of a fanfic, preferably in the Finding Sky section but I may stray. If you want me to recommend your story, send me a PM with your name and story title and I'll give it a read.**

Thanks!

XX


	2. The Compound

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I got some fairly good comments about the first chapter of Convincing Karen. Thanks so much for giving me another shot after I discontinued Hand In Hand To Hell.**

**Today I must recommend Knowing Ode by JessRachel. I read it earlier and really want to read the rest. I really liked it. It had nice characters and shows our Benedict Brothers as the lovely gents they are. And Ode is lovely. A very good book. Well done.**

**Another plug I'm afraid. If you want to read my other books. Helping Kate, Thinking of Marian and Snatching Sarah. I am most proud of the first.**

**Hope you like this one.**

* * *

"Let me go! Please let me go!" I whimpered as I was thrown over a tall man's shoulder and carried along painfully towards and concrete block of a building with search lights and electric fences. I tried to reach out for her mother, also being carried, but the other man laughed and moved out of my desperate reach.

"Where are you taking us?" Mum tried to hit the man carrying her but all she managed was a half-hearted thump. The man snorted with contempt and horrible images filled my brain of what he would do if he could. I felt the blood run cold in my veins and I croaked when I spoke to her mother.

"Mum, don't."

Mum caught my eye and nodded helplessly. The pain and confusion was still rife in both of us, but was shown without disguise in my mother. Tom was dead, Dad was dead, our home possibly destroyed, we'd been taken by psychopaths to who-knows-where.

The electric fence opened with a buzz and the men walked through into the floodlit courtyard of the compound. Men holding guns swaggered up and inspected us with laughter and a poke or two. I noticed I was still wearing my red dress, the hem soaked in blood from my brother's body and the cut on my head from the pistol butt.

"Two more then?" A gruff man pulled my hair back to look at my face. "This one's a looker."

I looked away from the man's fierce eyes, full of pain of a divorce and a child's suicide.

"Charge?" He barked, still staring into my face.

There was a rumble through my stomach as the man holding me spoke. "A loan needed repayment."

The man nodded approvingly. "Excellent. This one has power, she'll go for a pretty penny, that's for sure." He laughed sardonically, "And if she doesn't, well, I'll have go with her myself."

Fear filled my mind, ideas pouring off this man and into my imagination, letting them run wild. There was no one sane here, my power told me. Each and every one had something from their past that was twisting their present mentality and souring their attitudes.

Mum started squirming on the man's shoulder. "Don't you dare even touch my daughter you filthy little-"

He voice broke off as one of them men stuffed a rag into her mouth.

"Regular screamer aren't you?" The psychopath laughed. "Well, don't worry Darling, we'll have you broken in no time. Take them away."

The men carrying us split from each other, taking Mum away to the right and carried me across to the other side of the courtyard.

"Mum!" I reached for her desperatly as the older woman was taken away. Mum was wriggling and thrashing around on the man's shoulder, her eyes rolling with terror and determination to get free.

"Mum, I'll find you! I promise!" I screamed, clawing at the man's head. He swatted my butt and laughed.

We turned a corner and my mother disappeared. I sagged across the man's shoulder, all hope draining away from me in one foul swoop.

Where had they taken me? _Why_ had they taken me? I didn't know these men, I'd never done anything I shouldn't have, why _me_?

Dad was dead. Tom was dead.

A sob racked my body, ricocheting around every corner of my heart. _Tom_, my brother, my confidante, my _everything_. One shot, and he left my life, _one shot_. The world suddenly seemed very empty.

A red metal door clanged as the man barged through it into a metallic white corridor, lights flickering and cries echoing off the walls. I stared around as we passed door after door labelled with their purpose.

_Hairdresser,_

_Washrooms,_

_Wardrobe._

A frown marked my brow. Where in hell's name were we?

Through another door and we were on a white suspended walkway among many. It only took one look on either side to explain the contradiction.

Rows upon rows of cells. White prison cells full of women. I felt my mouth fall open as I was carried past a row of cells full of girls, with dirty clothes, sunken eyes and grimy faces. Many cried out to me, calling for help or warnings to get out while I still could. Others just watched, hope and happiness completely drained from their eyes.

"Hey Maggs! I got you the Bolton girl!" The man yelled at a small, wizened woman bending towards a cell at the end of the row. She straitened slowly, her back cracked and the light glinted off her silver hair. She smiled and her uneven teeth contrasted with the hollow darkness of her mouth.

"Excellent! What's she look like then?" She stepped away from the cage and two pairs of cracked and scrawny hands reached out for the silver bucket she pulled after her.

The man answered by pulling me round roughly and dumping me on my knees in front of this ancient old woman.

"Hmm." Maggs bent and grabbed my chin, pulling it harshly around and scraping my brown hair out of the way. "Yes, nice. Very good. Once we get her cleaned up she'll be gorgeous." Her voice was strong and crackly, showing me a comfortable childhood, loving if always under the thumb of her older sister.

I looked away, not wanting to show her anything residing in my head.

I met the eyes of a thin girl a few years younger than me. Normally, when I looked into the eyes of someone I would be filled with images of their past, problems with their mental started, feelings, anything. This was nothing. No feeling. She was blank, all emotion drained and a void inserted in place. This was self-inflicted, not Savant activity. This girl had deliberately stripped her mind, losing anything that made her human. She stared at me with her hollow blue eyes, clouded with hopelessness and pain. I looked, wanting to help, trying to find anything that would make her react.

Nothing.

She turned away.

Maggs had finished talking to the man who had brought me in. "Brilliant, I'll give her over to the 20 to 25 groups. They'll put her somewhere. Tell Steve to add her name, power and age onto the website and tell our high ranking guests we have a 24 year old." She smiled wickedly down at me. "Oh, sweetie, you are going to be so much _use_!"

The man pulled me to my feet and pushed me in front of him down a series of white walkways, past rows and rows of cells full of women. They looked awful, all thin and tired, starved of everything. I felt undertones of fear, sorrow, weariness and disease.

I was pushed through a maze of cells and walkways, all a sickeningly sterile white. I searched; looking everywhere I could for my mother. I didn't see her. There was nothing I recognised, no difference from one corridor to another, they were all the same.

We stopped suddenly by a cell in the middle of a row of others, nothing stood out about it, just one of many. My captor unlocked the white bars and pulled back the gate. The girls inside didn't try and escape. The worry that I would end up like that coursed through me. No hope, no effort to even _try_ for freedom.

He shoved me forward into the cell and pulled the gate closed behind me. "Someone will come and get you in a while." He said dully through the bars as I sprawled on the cold, hard floor and stared in confusion and fear at him. "They'll clean you and give you the uniform."

He turned sharply on his heel and sauntered away, leaving me shivering in this cell.

"So, another gets added to the family." A thin voice drawled behind me.

I spun round, breathing sharply from the sudden freedom of my diaphragm. A scrawny girl the same age as me was lying in the corner of the cell and staring at me with harsh ice blue eyes. Her dirty blonde hair was matted and hanging next to her sallow cheeks like a dead animal. She sat up slowly and bent forward to look at me. "She's a pretty one." She announced. "No doubt you'll go for _plenty_. And fast too, if your precious _soulfinder_ bothers to show."

Soulfinder.

The word echoed around my head.

_Soulfinder._

"What?" I breathed, confused and scared of this feeling less girl.

"Oh shush Tilda." Another voice sounded on the other side of the cell to me. I whipped around and saw a shorter girl with mousy brown hair scrambling to her feet and walking slowly over the tiny cell towards me. I flinched as she bent down and she held her hands out slowly. "Hey, don't worry. I won't hurt you. My name's Lenny."

I looked into her eyes and saw a calm, quiet life leading to a calm, quiet girl. I held out my own hand which she took carefully in her small one. "I'm Karen."

I heard a snort behind me and Lenny and I both looked over our shoulders to where Tilda was inspecting her dirty, scraped nails.

Lenny shook her head. "Don't mind her. It's not that we're not happy to see someone else. Well, we kinda aren't. We really hoped there wouldn't be anyone else taken like this. But at least you're ok."

I stared around, the extent of my position finally downing on me.

"What is this place?" I whispered as I rubbed my cold arms to generate some kind of heat.

Lenny smiled sadly and pushed some of my blood soaked hair behind my ear. "As close to Hell as you can get."

* * *

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**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Plans For The Future

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I know it's been a while since my last update. And it was really dramatic too, little cliffhanger. Basically, I had GCSE Mocks and I needed all my attention on those. But guess who finished them today! Hahahaha, beat that Exams. 16 weeks till GCSE's! Yay (notice the fairly invisible sarcasm)**

**So, I hope this chapter explains a bit more to you.**

**Today's shout outs are:**

**Hunting Jasper - by Elizabeth Jasper. Short chapters but OH MY GOD! I followed this one after reading half of the first chapter. Just go read it, favourite it, follow it, anything.**

**And:**

**Finding Home - by LiveLoveDance11. Unfortunately short right mow but it is SOOOOOOOOOOO good. Please go and read it, then she'll update! For me?**

**If you would like me to read and recommend your story send me a PM and I'll get back to you asap.**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

"Right, Mr Sean Kelly." My probation officer sat down heavily on the other side of the desk and looked at the piece of paper in his hand. "Just out of clink yes?"

I nodded, angry that I was being kept here. Who was this guy? Just some fat pen pusher who delighted in telling ex-cons what they could do, where they could go and when they could shit for God's sake.

I breathed twice through my nose and mouth. Calm the _hell_ down Sean. I tried, really I did, I don't _like_ having my streaks of pre-clink Sean. But it happened. Every now and again, mainly when I was stressed or worried. I'd have moments when I acted or thought like I did before. _I'm better than you_, I'd think. _Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that, don't you know what I could do to you if I wanted?_

But, of course, this guy didn't. I didn't exactly walk around telling everyone that I could turn their own emotions against them, that I could drain them of it.

It does something to you, being able to do that. Makes you hollow in a way. I certainly didn't feel all full and happy-clappy after watching my own actions at Dad's command. After seeing all those people leave my presence changed, less them, _empty_. Mind you, it was only James that made me see that.

"Yes." I said, swallowing my stupid self-confidence. "Let out yesterday."

My probation officer smiled warmly at me from behind his cramped seat. "Good, another one out. Right, I know it'll be different since you went in, it always is. Prison changes people son, that's why we use it. But we take care of the people who come to us. We'll get you a place to stay for a while and a job, just to get you back on your feet. Ok?"

I nodded, feeling genuinely grateful. The image of a huge mansion flashed into my mind. Kelly House was our bolt hole. The place we all went to if things got hairy. Dad had told me about it when we were about to go into prison, so I could take it over when I was out. It was hanging around my mind at the moment, I hated the idea of using anything of my Dad's. Bloody psychopath.

"We have a small community home in the centre, a few rooms available for whoever needs them. One of them's your's until you find something of your own. And we do a deal with the local bakery. There's a small job there with your name on it if you want it."

He must have seen my expression. "Hey, I know it's not as lucrative as your last position." He said it with a hint of malice, "but you were in prison for _attempted murder_, you're not going to shoot straight to the top of the pike are ya?"

I laughed bitterly. "Guess not."

He looked apologetic. "Hey, I'm not here to yell at you for what you did. I figure that after three years in chains you've had about enough of that. And I'll be here all the time if you need help."

I sighed and ran my hands through my thick black hair. "Right." I said after a second. "Talk to me about this community home."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

**Karen's P.O.V.**

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered, aghast.

Lenny shook her head and shrugged. "Sorry. Every word's true."

I slumped against the wall in my thin, blood splattered dress. "So, this is, what, a pimp house?"

Tilda snorted with bitter laughter from her corner and Lenny sat delicately next to me. "Not quite. I mean, they only pimp out the _really_ pretty one's with hardly any powers."

I stared at her with an open mouth. "Please tell me that's a joke."

I got a level gaze in return.

"Shit." My head fell down onto my knees and a pulled my arms in close. "So they take Savant girls, and sell them off to their potential soulfinders."

I heard Lenny sigh from behind my curtain of hair. "I think so. Tilda knows most of the details, with her being able to read minds."

Tilda sounded blank when she spoke. "If a Savant Daddy owes something to them they take their women. Daughters, wives, sisters, anything. Then they treat them like slaves, making us work unwillingly for our food, and when a nice savant guy shows up and says he's willing to pay a shedload for his soulfinder they bring out all the girls of his age and he can take his pick."

Lenny rubbed my shoulder with her tiny hand and I leant back against the wall. "That's like a cattle market." I moaned.

"If the guy finds his soulfinder he pays a load to take her. But even if you go, you're still under these guy's thumbs. You have to pay annual instalments as payment for your food, lodging. And if you don't then they come and take your own daughters."

I looked over at Tilda. Her blonde hair was scraggy against her face and her blank eyes made her look dead. "What if your soulfinder doesn't find you?"

She shrugged and started chewing at her blackened nails. "They still have to pay. This time as a deposit in case they do find you. And good luck trying to run away from them. This place is an international affair, everyone knows. They just don't know how bad it is."

I felt tears rising in my eyes. It was so unfair. Lenny was a lovely girl, had a normal family and life until she'd been taken. I could see her mind patterns and the makeup of her past and it was good. There was nothing there to suggest she was anything other than a victim.

Tilda however. She was dark. Her past and emotions sucked away from her, leaving only the remnants of her former self. A recovering alcoholic with a serious case of depression. She was a nutcase that had been crying out for so long without answer that she'd now forgotten how she ever coped with happiness.

And then me. With my power of healing minds and with so many people who needed my help in the same building as me. It was maddening.

I jumped to my feet and started pacing, managing five steps before hitting a wall. Tilda went back to her nails and Lenny looked up at me, waiting for my reaction.

I swung round to face her. "Ok, I know this sounds mad. But I really need your help to stay sane."

She nodded, confused. "You're with us now, we'll keep you on your feet, show you the ropes and all that."

I nodded and smiled at her. "Thanks. In return, I am going to help anyone who needs it. Can you point out to me any girls who've been here for a long time? I'm going to see what I can do mentally to bring them back to themselves."

Lenny started to smile. "I'll help."

I tapped my dry, cracked fingers to my lips. "Good. I'll see what I can do."

I then swung around and pointed at Tilda. "And I'll start with you."

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**Good?**

**Please tell me what you thought of it, I kinda need to know just in case there's anything I've missed.**

**See you hopefully on Saturday.**

**XXX**


	4. The Lowdown

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I'm really glad so many of you are enjoying this. It's still in the crawling stage but I have awesome ideas for this and I have a feeling that this could be my best one so far. I think this will be THE one, if that makes any sense. But to just help me along, could you review at the end, just feeding me your thoughts and feelings about the characters. Thanks!**

**I am feeling really insecure about Karen at the moment so I actually need to know what you think. Thanks to xNPanache for giving me her approval, it means so much.**

**Today's recomendation is:**

**Saving Flo - by Luce17 - honestly, I have read this about 5 times. I love it. It's a little rushed at the beginning but it does stick in my mind as being a really good story. Please give it a check out.**

**Hope you like this chapter, it explains a little bit more about the people.**

* * *

Tilda deliberately avoided my eyes as I sat next to her. She stank of sweat, urine and general despair. The blankness was radiating off her in waves, filling my head with half thoughts and images only half in focus. She was a water colour that someone had smudged, a clay sculpture that had been dented. She was incomplete.

"Tilda, can I hold your hand?" I said gently, slightly intimidated by this strong, angry girl, who's terror had fuelled her addiction and lead her to this state.

She snorted and gave me an evil look. "What are you? My shrink?"

My tentative smile faded. "My brother used to call me that."

She went back to her nails and pointedly looked away from me. I looked over at Lenny who shrugged nervously on the other side of the room.

_How long as she acted like this?_ I asked quietly in my head.

Lenny looked up and answered. _She was already here when I arrived a year ago. But I don't think she was always like this. She has this thing, where she actively doesn't like anyone._

_What?_ I frowned.

Lenny nodded privately. _She doesn't like me, though won't tell me why. She's properly rude to all the other girls and used to spit at all the guards._ I saw a smile arrive on Lenny's face. _I used to admire her for that. But now she's just lost the effort to even look up when they are around. I think she just can't see any nice things about people now._

I sighed and looked back at Tilda. "Tilda, how long have you been here?"

She stayed silent, but I knew she'd heard me. Her mind whispered, _4 years_.

That was such a long time. I was reeling in my head. _4 years_ here with nothing and no one to help you. _4 years_ waiting for your soulfinder to come and get you out. No wonder she wiped herself clean of basic positive emotions.

"Tilda, I'm just going to have a look in your mind, just to see how much you've erased. Is that ok? You can tell me if you don't want me to do it."

I waited with baited breath. This was the most crucial part. I could glean information if I wanted to but I needed their permission to go any deeper.

She looked up finally and spat out her answer through her matted hair. "No offence sweet cheeks, but I keep my mind to myself."

I nodded, fighting off the disappointment. It happened a lot, I couldn't expect people just to let me see their mind. Normally I didn't have to, I'd be able to get the information I needed just from a general sweep. But if I wanted to help change something then I needed that person's full co-operation. If they freaked out or were only half ok with it then I could cause more harm than good.

I stood and went over to slump next to Lenny. She patted my hand apologetically. "I've been trying for a year to find out about her back story. She'll say nothing to you"

I looked down and stroked the red material of my dress over my thighs. "She's a recovering alcoholic and manic depressive. The dependence on the booze made her brain malfunction and helped the depression start when she got here. Or around about."

Lenny blinked. "Woah, you got more in twenty minutes than I've got in a year."

I looked over at her. "A year? That's a long time."

She nodded but smiled tight lipped at me. "Yeah, but not compared to some others here. You know about Tilda, I heard from another girl. Then there's this really old women stuck here as well. No one knows her name. She's properly mad, they drove her insane. She's been here _forty_ years. They never take her out of her cell because she had a dangerous power so she's still wearing the same pair of clothes she had when she got here."

My jaw dropped. "_Forty years?!_ That's barbaric!"

She nodded. "Yeah, most of us walk past her cell coming back from our daily march. We feel bad that she can hear us moving around but not leave herself so we try and drop some food through the corner of the bars. Just in case she's sane enough to realise it's us."

My head thumped back against the cold stone. "Tell me more about the people here. What about Maggs? I saw her when I came in."

Lenny reached behind her and pulled two tin blankets from the rickety beds in the corner. She handed me one and I pulled it tight around my shoulders. "Maggs is in charge. Well, she looks after us. And when I say _'looks after us'_, you know what I mean." She made quote marks in the air with her fingers. "She doesn't feed us, but she decides how much we get. She doesn't dress us, but tells us what to wear. She doesn't fetch us, but orders our movements around the compound. She _manages_ us, I guess." A guilty look flashed over her face. "This is going to sound really bad, but it's better to be on her good side, then she could over look a little more food slipped onto your plate or let you be at the front of the line is a Potential comes to visit."

"Potential?" I asked.

"Potential soulfinder. A guy who comes to look at us."

I nodded and she shrugged. Telling me she was finished.

"Ok, what about the guards?" I asked, filing away the information about Maggs.

Lenny looked through the bars at a couple of guards within eyes sight. "Well, we have a selection of psychopaths." She made it sound like a shop and I smiled at her light hearted-ness. "This one guy, Trev I think his name is, he's a transvestite. This is the story so I can't guarantee that it's right but apparently he's _really_ paranoid about it and is scared that people won't ever accept him, so he's hidden it and that paranoia and guilt drove him completely insane."

My eyebrows rose, I was dying to help him, that was exactly the kind of thing I dealt with, people who both needed _and_ wanted my help.

Lenny went on. "Then we have a pair of kleptomaniacs who go to scary levels to get what they want, it's weird. They'll do things like kill if someone's standing in the way of their prize. I'd stay away from they, they go haywire really quickly."

I nodded. "Do you know anything about the guys who run this place?"

Lenny shook her head. "No, sorry. I mean. I heard that that guy Daniel Kelly gave them a load of money just before he went into prison but this place is an international affair. It won't be easy to take on."

I shrugged. "No, I never thought it would be. But, we might as well give it a go."

I looked over and saw Lenny start to grin.

* * *

**Good?**

**Please tell me what you think, story-wise Karen-wise Tilda and Lenny, anything.**

**Thanks and see you tomorrow hopefully!**

**XX**


	5. A Slippery Slope

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I'm in a really productive mood at the moment. I sat down this morning and polished off a chapter in an hour. It was intense!**

**I had a review yesterday asking when Trace gets introduced. I'm really sorry if I confused anyone, but this isn't Trace's story. I know I was working my way through the older brothers but Trace already has Diamond and I am working straight from the books. So, in this story Zed has Sky, Yves has Phee, Xav has Crystal and Trace has Diamond. None of my other stories are remembered so I'm afraid you wont meet Kate, Marian or Sarah. This is Sean Kelly's story after he is let out of prison. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Elizabeth Jasper for being the most awesome person in the whole world. I honestly love you to bits. XXX**

**Today's recommendation is:**

**A Place In This World - by SunWillRise2340 - I haven't read it for a while but I can remember it being really really good. Please give it a shot and I hope you like it as much as I did.**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

Sean's P.O.V.

I closed up my till after another day full of screaming children and tired mothers bustling through the bakery laden with rolls and donuts for their brood. I pulled off my green apron and wiped my sticky hands on the towel.

"Right, you off then?" The chubby, rosy cheeked woman who ran the bakery had taken me under her wing as soon as I walked through the door. I think she knew how hard it was for me. I kept getting Old Sean thoughts about the casino I owned before prison and the money that rolled in. Now everything was different and it was taking time to adjust.

I nodded and hung the apron on the back of the door. "I get a day off tomorrow to look around a bit, so I'll see you the day after."

Waving over my shoulder I left the bakery and the door jangled behind me. It only took me ten minutes to find my favourite café from before I got arrested. It was a small place next to a park and served the best sandwiches in Las Vegas filling and familiar from the Old Days.

I sat at the back of the café, still paranoid I'd see someone un-savoury from my past. I didn't know what I was expecting but I'd rather not take any chances meeting someone who wanted something off me. It was common knowledge among the Savant Net that I'd been released and I wouldn't be surprised if the Benedict Family wanted blood for what I did.

I cringed, thinking of the little blonde girl with the bright eyes and the strong mind. The image of her face as I drained her of emotions had haunted me for years as I rotted away in prison. The guilt allowed James to roll into my life and sort everything out.

The waitress set a plate of bacon sandwiches in front of me and I dug in, the taste of my private past seeping into me. I would have closed my eyes with sensation but a sharp voice broke me out of my dreaming.

"Kelly, I heard you were out."

I looked up and my chewing froze.

A tall man with white blonde hair and a rugby player's nose was grinning sardonically at me, his beefy arms folded across his barrel chest. There was a petite woman standing close next to him, her silky blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders and a black dress that matched her partner's suit.

I swallowed painfully, this was just what I wanted to avoid. "Evan. Didn't expect to see you here."

Evan snorted and his sister giggled along with him. "Oh come on Sean." Eva sat next to me and crossed her ankles. "You didn't _want_ to see us."

I shrugged and went back to my food, hoping they'd go away.

Evan sat on my other side and smacked my shoulder with his meaty hand. "How was prison?"

I kept my eyes on my plate. "None of your business. How's bankruptcy suiting you?"

Evan's grin faded and Eva hissed.

I smiled to myself.

Eva cleared her throat delicately and flipped her platinum hair over her shoulder. "We're back in business. Got ourselves involved in a fine little establishment, the money's rolling in. _You_ however," She looked me up and down. "Working in a _bakery_ I hear. Well, I guess we can have it _all _can we?"

I shot her an evil look. "What do you want?"

Evan and his sister shared a smug look over my head. "We want your assistance in a little project of ours."

I shook my head. "Not interested."

They laughed. "Hey hey Sean, we haven't finished. You'll be interested in this. It's your kind of thing."

I made a sour look. "You don't know _anything_ about me."

Evan let out a hollow, sarcastic laugh. "Prison didn't change you _that_ much, you're still a Kelly."

I gave him a look and spat out my words. "You have no idea. And it's Sean _Danes_ now anyway."

There was a split second of silence before the pair burst out in hoots and cackles of laughter. "Oh, Sean, we _have _missed you!" Eva stroked my hand with her long, perfectly manicured nails.

I pointedly looked away, knowing they would keep talking whatever I did.

Evan reached into his jacket and pulled out a small sheaf of papers. "You ever heard of The Cat House?"

I frowned. "Nope."

Eva's perfectly shaped eyebrows raised. "Never? Well, that _is_ disappointing, your father donated so much money to them!"

I looked up at them. "What is it?"

Evan nodded at Eva to explain. "Well, think about it. You've got every single savant in the word looking for their soulfinders, doesn't it make sense to have a lot of savants in one place at the same time?"

I shrugged, but the word soulfinder had piqued my interest.

Eva carried on. "So, The Cat House offers a safe, comfortable home for many Savant women of all ages. It's like a spa hotel. They live there and work and enjoy themselves. But when a savant man comes and asks to see the women of his age they come out and he can see if his soulfinder is there."

I was trying so hard not to seem interested but I'd been feeling the effects of no soulfinder for years now. Any chance to find her and I was going to take it.

"Then, if he finds The One he pays a little bit of money to cover her keep and they can go, happily ever after."

I looked up at her with sudden suspicion. "That seems very ethical for you two."

Eva shrugged. "We run it, Evan's friends with the top man and he sent us to offer you a job. A _proper_ job." She said finally, "Not one at the local bakery."

I felt their gleeful emotions warping around my mind, swirling with thoughts of jealousy, greed and pride. I didn't want to help. I didn't like, trust, or really believe them. But they mentioned a collection of soulfinders. My imagination was awash with pictures and dreams and wishes of finding her.

I'd be lying if I said that Old Sean wasn't jumping at the chance for a leg up into the world. He was angry about the bakery, angry about sharing a community home with other delinquents, angry that he was _no one_ anymore. And he'd just been offered a second chance.

_Soulfinder_, the good side of me whispered.

_Power_, Old Sean hissed.

Internally I groaned with despair.

"What would I have to do?" I asked quietly.

Eva and Evan cheered and clapped their hands, making some of the other customers turn and look.

Evan slammed my back again. "Just help out with the logistics. Maggs, she runs the place, she needs someone to help bring in more clients. We need your wide scope of people to tell the world about The Cat House and bring Savants to find their soulfinders. This is _historical_ Sean." He seemed quiet earnest about it. "We are helping the cause here. Even the Savant Net can't argue that this could change _everything_."

I sighed.

_He's right_, Good Me said.

_You betcha!_ Old Sean cackled.

"I'll take it." I whispered.

And the rest of my sandwich went untouched.

* * *

**Good?**

**Please tell me what you thought about it, I love hearing that you like Karen and isn't Lenny the sweetest thing? I love her to bits.**

**See you hopefully tomorrow if this productive streak keeps going.**

**XX**


	6. Medical

**Hi Guys!**

**So, thank you for the reviews and I'm glad you like it.**

**Today's recomendation is:**

**Loving Karla - by butterflylion14 - it is soooo cute! I loved it and It's nice to see Saul and Karla being cute together pre boys.**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

I was jerked awake a while later with the sharp jangle of keys in the lock. One of the psychopaths was pulling at the door.

I lifted my head off the thin, hard mattress and looked over at Lenny for explanation. She nodded reassuringly. "It's ok, they're taking you for your medical and to give you your uniform. Just keep quiet unless they ask you a question."

I frowned. "How long have I been here?"

Lenny shrugged. "Around a day, I'd say. We can't really be sure but we're kept nocturnally. We only go out at night."

The psychopath strode towards me and yanked me up but the arm. I gasped at his harsh grip and look back at the brunette girl on the other bed. Lenny looked apologetic and waved while he pulled me through the gate. Tilda kept her back turned resolutely.

Women looked at me mournfully as I was pulled through corridor after corridor. I could feel the despair and worry tumble towards me, a new girl being violently brought into their lives.

We went back the general direction I'd come earlier. When they'd taken Mum away. It seemed like so long ago and I started scanning the faces of the women, looking for her.

I was brought to a halt in front of the Clinic room and the psychopath rapped sharply on the door.

"Come on in!" A croaky voice yelled.

He pushed me through and I landed heavily on my knees, staring up at the people in front of me.

Maggs was there, her wizened old frame bent over a cupboard in the corner. A tall, fat women in a tight nurse's outfit was tapping at a syringe, her attention was broken when I landed at her feet and she placed the glass tube on the side board and looked at a file on her desk. "Karen Bolton, yes?"

I remembered Lenny's words about keeping quiet. I nodded mutely.

"I'm Nurse MacAvoy. Now, you've been bashed up a bit haven't you?" She leaned down towards me and grabbed my chin, angling my face towards the light. "Yes, a few scratches, and that cut on your forehead is nasty." She shot a sour look at the man who had brought me to her. "You can't keep roughing the girls up as you get them."

He shrugged and started inspecting a surgical knife from a trolley on the side board.

MacAvoy tutted and looked me in the eyes. "Good, nice and bright. You're alert and healthy. Well, except for a little trauma."

I struggled against rolling my eyes so I looked away.

Maggs came over and smiled at me, like I was a favourite niece. "We'll fix you up sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart." I spat in her direction and the sock registered on her face.

There was a twinkling laugh from the shadows of the room. "She's a feisty one, I like it."

I looked closer and a small woman with platinum blonde hair stood from her perch on the side board and minced towards me. She stopped right by my face and placed her hands on her hips, forcing me to crane my neck to look at her.

"Yes, you'll do well. I can see the power inside you." She smiled and I had the distinct urge to trust her with my life. She was safety, light, comfort. I felt tears rising to my eyes from the last day. Tom was dead, Dad was dead, Mum was taken, home was destroyed, my head hurt, I didn't know where I was, Tilda didn't like me. It was all finally coming out in my 'mind dump'.

I was familiar with these. With a power like mine you get subjected to the darkest, saddest, most traumatising parts of people's lives It's too much for the mind to handle and so every now and again my mind short circuited and I had a breakdown, sobbing out all my problems. It wasn't pretty but it left my mind clean for the next one. My mother usually held me through those times and the empty space around me added another reason to be crying.

"Oh, _sweet thing_!" The blonde woman bent and stroked my hair back from my face. "I know, it's been a long day. But _trust_ me darling, I'll be there to look out for you. I'm Eva."

I nodded and raised my hand to wipe my nose.

She pulled me into a light hug and I sobbed into her shoulder, all the happenings of the day piled into one long cry. She hummed and rocked me, the same song Mum had used. _You Are My Sunshine. _

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

_You make me happy, when skies are grey._

_You'll never know dear, how much I love you._

_Please don't take my sunshine away._

I froze.

How did she know that song? How did she know _exactly_ where to stroke my hair to remind me of my mother? How did she know to tap the beat with her thumb at the base of my skull, just like Mum did.

Why did I trust her on sight?

I pulled away, trying not to make my unease show. She smiled and tucked my hair behind my ear before stepping back and nodding at MacAvoy. "Carry on Nurse."

The chubby woman walked forward and smothered a plaster over the gash on my head. She was rough and her fingers pressed down too hard on my head, making me wince and ooze blood from the recently scabbed over cut.

I was too busy smoothing the plaster down to notice much before the psychopath and Maggs both grabbed an arm each and pulled hard, pinning me where I was. I was shocked and tried to pull away but Maggs was surprisingly strong for her tiny frame and the psychopath didn't look like it bothered him.

MacAvoy turned from the side board with the syringe she had been filling and walked menacingly towards me.

I wasn't going to let them fill me with their drugs.

I started pulling and screaming hysterically, trying to get away from the needle that was moving fast towards me.

I tried to twist away but MacAvoy grabbed my shoulder with a small frown that told me I was just being a nuisance. I screamed again and attempted to jerk my arm away. She just sunk the needle into my arm and I felt a heavy sensation travel up my arm as I stopped struggling, tears falling freely down my cheeks as I realised it was hopeless.

"There, that wasn't so bad now was it?" MacAvoy stood slowly and ticked something off on her file.

The heavy, tired sensation was still moving around my body, making every movement a chore and my eyes started swimming.

Maggs waved the man away and started unbuttoning my dress once he had gone. "Good, now you just sit there and we'll put this on you."

I couldn't see here in fine definition anymore and I resigned myself to a lifeless stare at the floor.

When I came to my senses I was lying in my cell again. My head was resting on Lenny's lap and she was combing her fingers through my hair, having already got most of the blood and clumps out.

I groaned and sat up slowly, raising my hand to my head.

"Are you alright?" Lenny looked into my eyes, checking for anything irregular.

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. "They _drugged _me."

Lenny nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. You'd have freaked out and they would have hurt you."

I nodded again and looked down at myself. Gone was my lovely red dress and instead I was clad in a metallic blue grey t-shirt and baggy shorts. It smelt of disinfectant and mint, a sign that I wasn't the first owner.

My last connection to my family was gone.

I took a deep shaky breath and looked up at Lenny, who was waiting or anything.

"We have to get out of here."

* * *

**Good?**

**Please tell em what you think, I do kinda need to know.**

**New chapter probably on Friday cos school and all that.**

**See you then!**

**XX**


	7. On Show

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I'm sorry about the wait. I told you this one would be a bit of a crucial chapter and I guess I needed time to get it right. But, I think I've done it.**

**This is for . for sending me a really lovely PM, thank you, I love you to bits. Also, she wants to take on Hand In Hand To Hell and so if there are any more updates on that I will tell you all.**

**Today's recomendation is:**

**Moving Melody - by MollyDolly1996. I loved this one, Melody is such a lovely character.**

**Hope you like this one.**

* * *

Sean's P.O.V.

"This place is huge!" I breathed in slightly belligerent wonder. I was standing in the centre of a room. The white ceilings towered over my head and the walls stretched out to make it look more of a hall from Camelot than a room in the suburbs of Las Vegas.

Evan and his sister Eva were standing by my side and I felt their smug smiles before I saw them. "State of the art security too." Evan boasted. "We don't want anyone coming in to hurt the girls. They need to be kept safe."

I risked a quiet peek into his head and saw the lie, but not what it was. It nagged at me, make me worry what I was getting into.

The suspicion was strong, but not enough. They didn't cover the glee of Old Sean to be back in the game with the big players. I shushed my thoughts quickly and turned to have a look at the room again. "So, where do the girls live?"

Eva answered cleanly but not completely honestly. "They have beautiful penthouse apartments upstairs. But only female employees are allowed up there and they have to swear they won't become involved with any of us unless they're soulfinders."

I nodded, trying to detect the lie and failing. She was good at this.

Evan broke the silence with a large clap of his large hands. "Well, you chose a good time to come Kelly." He ignored my sour look at my old name. "You're just in time to see the first viewing of the day."

. . . . . . .

"Karen, you need to get up sweetie." I was woken from my ragged sleep by Lenny shaking my shoulder, looking nervous with a hint of something else on top. Excitement?

I frowned and rolled over again, burying my head in the mouldy excuse for a pillow we'd been given.

"Karen, please. We need to go." I was shaken gently but firmly and I finally sat up to see Lenny and Tilda up and waiting for me.

"What's happening?" I croaked, pushing my knotted, slightly greasy hair out of my face.

Lenny smiled. "Someone's come to see us!"

My head snapped round to her. "What?!"

She nodded and bounced up and down on her toes. "A guy's come to look at the 24 year olds."

I stood quickly and went over to them. The worry and excitement was very obvious here, radiating down the hall from each cell. Women were waiting to be taken out, the hope that this could be their moment was high and I felt desperation from Tilda, who had kept her head stoically turned away. I hadn't been able to get any closer to her since the last time I tried. It had been four days now. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone, but I could feel her thoughts getting tangled and restless beneath the calm outer shell she had perfected.

A guard walked down the corridor, swinging keys in his hand. Maggs was walking by his side, pointing to various cells and watching as girls were pulled out and cuffed to her side by metal bands round their wrists.

Lenny, Tilda and I were bound close to each other and pulled down the corridor. I saw the remainder of the women's faces falling and they turned back to their beds with their hope crushed again.

We were taken straight to the showers and hosed down with hot water and luxury soap. I would be lying if I sad it didn't feel amazing to be clean again. After we were checked by Maggs our hair was washed by women who stayed absolutely silent and was dried into its natural fall around d our shoulders. Lenny's hair shone with the sudden love and Tilda's dirty blonde hair was hosed so much the mud fell away, revealing golden curls that bounced on her thin shoulders.

We were then bundled into clothes that contrasted our uniforms massively. A brunette women slipped a dark blue sundress over my arms and tied the bow behind my back while another passed me a pair of sandals. When I looked in the mirror over her head I could almost believe that none of this was real, that I was back at home and Dad had bought me another pretty dress for Tom to laugh at.

Tilda and Lenny were both given clothes that highlighted their features and we were directed towards a pair of huge red doors at the end of the corridor.

Maggs pulled up to a halt and faced all of us. "Now, girls. Make me proud." She smiled like our grandmother giving us a present. Then suddenly her face grew stormy and her sharp eyes pierced every one of us. "But say one bad word about this place and I swear we will make the rest of your life a living _hell_."

With that she turned and pushed open the door.

We filed in and looked around the cavernous room, painted white with sophisticated painting hung on the wall.

There were a few guards standing at the entrance and a trio of people in the corner. I recognised the blonde woman who had imitated my mother the day of the injection. She smiled and waved her fingers at me. I looked away quickly. The man standing next to her had to be her brother, they were sickeningly similar, the same hair and bone structure. The third man was tall with a strong physic and jet black hair. He turned to watch us walk in and I could feel the uncertainty and suspicion in his head, as his eyes raked over us. That suspicion gave me hope, perhaps this was one person who didn't believe all the lies about The Cat House.

His eyes drifted over to mine and I was nearly bowled back by the power in them. There were ice blue, cold and confident. But he didn't _feel_ that way. He stared at me, and I felt somehow that he knew what I was thinking. He and I were both reading the other's emotions. He was worried and fighting himself. There was a raging battle inside his mind and it all pointed towards a past that was better to be left alone. My heart shivered and I looked away quickly, not wanting to give this scared stranger anything else about me.

There was another man in the room. He looked nervous, wringing his hands and biting his lip. He was very tall and well-built with skin like dark chocolate. He smiled at us, and I felt a kind, loving person underneath all the brawn. Maggs went up to him and faced us. "Ladies, this is Mr Greggory Trent. He's here to see if he can find his soulfinder. Mr Trent, you just go for it and have a look at them."

Greggory breathed deeply and looked at the girl standing at one end of the line. There was an intense look between them and the girl's thoughts went into a leap of hope. I saw the beginnings of a smile on bother their faces before they dulled and the girl stood back, disappointment radiating off her. She shook her head minutely and Greggory moved onto the next girl.

It took an hour to get through all of us, Greggory and I had a quick chat to see if there was anything there, before he apologised for raising my hopes and I could see he was getting desperate.

There was suddenly a sharp gasp from a down the line. My head turned and I saw the girl next to Lenny clap her hands to her mouth and burst into tears. Greggory was beaming. He stared at the small, pale redhead with sudden, solid love and devotion. I felt their minds twist and turn to align themselves with each other's and that deep, instinctive love flourish from their roots.

She stepped forward and was immediately swept into the big, strong arms that would be there for the rest of their lives. There were sobbing quietly and murmuring to each other in their minds. I fought back a small smile as I watched them.

Maggs left the happy couple and waved the rest of us towards the door. I saw the disappointment and sorrow on the girls' faces as I looked around. Tilda looked like someone had knocked another nail into her coffin but Lenny was holding up well.

I turned to look back at the room as I was walking towards the door. Something was pulling my attention and I frowned slightly when I met the eyes of the man with black hair and steely eyes.

_What's your name?_ A voice sounded in my head, clear and crisp.

And with those three words my world exploded and was made whole all at once.

* * *

**Good?**

**Please tell me what you thought and what you think Karen will do next.**

**See you hopefully on the weekend.**

**XX**


	8. Searching

**Hi Guys!**

**I seem to be doing a lot of this, leaving a chapter for two weeks. I'm so sorry. I tried to write one on Tuesday but I had that annoying feeling that makes your fingers spaz out on the keyboard when you type. Seriously, every word had a typo. And this was a really crucial chapter too!**

**Well, I'm afraid it hasn't lived up to expectation, it isn't as interesting as you might think. Sorry about that. But read it and find out why.**

**Dont forget to all check out . . She's taken on Hand In Hand To Hell and is doing a magnificent job at finishing it. Well done girl!**

**Today's recommendation is: Hand in Hand To Hell - by . . xxx**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

I crashed to the floor on my knees, too shocked to even cry out at the sharp pain.

"Karen!" Lenny hissed and bent to help me up, looking over her shoulder to see if Maggs had seen.

I clutched my head, drowning in the feelings and thoughts. Every single emotion in the room was crowding into my head, making no sense whatsoever. Love was battling with hate, happiness of the couple was contradicting the anger of the girls. There was no order, just a rebellion of _feeling_ in my head. It was exhilarating, like cresting the top of a huge rollercoaster.

_He's my soulfinder._

I gasped unevenly, trying with all my might to maintain some peace, some _order_ in my head.

He was my _soulfinder._

I was pulled to my feet by Tilda, roughly to avoid Maggs' attention. "What the _hell_ are you playing at?!" She hissed into my face.

I looked frantically over my shoulder, searching for the man with black hair and desolate eyes. Tilda tried to drag me away as the guards by the doors started to usher us out and away from the newly made couple. Maggs was shooting me an irritated look and I knew I'd pay for the disturbance later.

My eyes scanned for the man who had caused a riot in my mind but all I could see were guards and scared, disappointed girls being shepherded out. Searching the minds of the people around me didn't help either; I felt a flicker of confusion that I _knew_ was from Him but it was quickly whisked away, leaving me in a sea of devastated women.

The door slammed shut behind us and we were immediately clamped back into the hard iron handcuffs. Tilda shot me a dirty look. "Next time you make a scene like that, do it on your own. Don't drag us into your mess." She pushed me roughly away from her and disappeared off to hand in her dress.

Lenny looked at me carefully. "What happened, Karen?"

I looked over at my new friend, desperate to tell the truth. But as the cloud of thought had cleared from my head I could still see her sadness and disappointment at not having been chosen.

"I thought I saw someone I recognised." I said, looking away and offering my hands for the cuffs.

Lenny kept an eye on me for the rest of the evening, while we were stripped of our lovely clothes and stuffed back into our cells. I remained stoically unresponsive, not wanting to hurt either of them by showing off. I thought about Tilda, silent in her corner. Imagine being locked up for four years and to have some upstart new comer find their soulfinder within a week. I couldn't do that to them.

We didn't see the thin red head girl again. A guard ran past with a hastily packed bag to pass off as her own and I saw the girl who had been standing next to her cry silently while her friend's bed was stripped and all traces of her wiped from the cell.

Everywhere I looked I hoped to see the man with black hair. He had looked so sad and conflicted, I felt this deep urge to find him and help. But none of the passing guards looked even vaguely like him and Lenny started giving me weird looks when I gazed at every one who walked past.

"What does it feel like?" She asked quietly after a while. "Having someone in your head?"

I sat next to her from where I had been leaning against the cell bars. "I think it depends on what's happening. For example, if I looked in your head then you'd feel this pressure behind your eyes. Not painful, but noticeable. That's why I can only go in with people's permission and can't stay there very long. The brain and eyes react to it and would go haywire. But my mother can pluck out people's memories and she says that feels like a cool breeze flowing through your mind."

Lenny nodded slowly. "Can you try on me? I want to know."

I shrugged and closed my eyes, knocking carefully on the door to her mind. Lenny followed my example and opened up, letting me into the library of her thoughts. After a general sweep to see if anything was wrong she shivered and ushered me back out again. "That was weird. I'm not sure I liked it."

I smiled sadly. "Most people don't on the first try. That's one of the reasons I don't get many people asking for more."

She nodded.

I looked back out of the cell bars to the corridor. "How many times have you been shown off like that?" I asked.

Lenny was rubbing her eyes, trying to relieve herself of the pressure I'd left. "Every week or so. It's a bigger company than any of us realised, we have people coming from all over."

I exhaled loudly and rubbed my face. A sudden tiredness had come down on me fast, and it didn't seem to be just me. Tilda was nodding in her corner and Lenny yawned, "I don't know what they put in the shampoo but give us an hour or two and we all start dropping off." Her eyes drifted shut.

"Lenny!" I turned and shook her arm. My eyes were fighting to shut but I blinked fast. Something was happening to us. "Lenny, you have to stay awake."

"Why?" She moaned and tried to bat my hand away. "It happens all the time."

I jumped to my feet and started pacing quickly to keep myself conscious. There was a thick black mist travelling up my body, making my movement jerky and my thoughts dappled. Feeling left my feet, my ankles went numb and my shins started to tingle.

I started to panic, they had drugged us. All of us. And it was normal?! My breath hitched in my chest and I sank to my knees, clutching at one of the bars. I was paralysed below the waist an there was a strange sinking sensation in my stomach as I retched violently, dispelling the watery soup we had been given for breakfast all over the floor.

I sat back on my heels and watched mutely as Tilda and Lenny both dropped off peacefully to sleep. My brain was egging me on to follow them.

This was _wrong_.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, letting it flop back to my lap, all energy gone.

Breathing deeply, I gathered what strength I had left and let my mind go, searching for that conflicted, dark mind that could be my saviour. I tripped over the inmates, the guards, the servants. Maggs turned under my gaze and the scary blond woman looked around for the pressure behind her eyes.

I zeroed in on a dark figure sitting in a room, despair and confusion painted on the canvas of his mind.

I smiled slightly, knowing I had found him mentally.

_Help me._ I breathed through my head.

And by all luck, he heard me.

* * *

**Good!**

**See? That was why they could have a meeting. Sean wouldn't have joined if he knew they were being treated badly so I'm giving him time to work it out. Ok?**

**See you maybe tomorrow but probably next weekend. It's Half Term on Friday so I won't miss it.**

**See you then!**

**XX**


	9. Glance

**Hi Guys!**

**I know it's been a while. I'm making a habit of the chapter being late and it's not good. I'm sorry. But it Hal Term now so hopefully there will be few chapters up extra fast.**

**Keep checking out Hand in Hand To Hell on . account. You all gave me so much support when I was writing it, I would love it if you could extend it to her for the rest of the story. It's got to the exciting part**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

Sean's P.O.V.

I smiled woodenly again at Eva as she strutted down a corridor and waved her hand at inconsequential things. "And this is the door to the electrics room, dealing with the power for the whole building."

Everywhere we went I was searching for that girl.

My soulfinder.

I hadn't heard anything from her since her plea for help. It had shaken me, shocked me so much I hadn't been able to answer before the brief connection was broken. But that second of togetherness had completely re-arranged my life. Since then Old Sean had stayed silent and pacified back in his shell. She had stopped him, evened me out. Healed the rift between the Sean I was and the Sean I used to be.

And she needed help.

Since then I'd combed the faces in front of me, looking for a middle height woman with brown hair, soft eyes and a curved mouth that looked ready for laughing.

I hadn't seen her. And it was killing me. Just knowing that my soulfinder, my _soulfinder_, was in the same building as me was enough to keep sleep away and make food seem meaningless when I tried to eat. Evan had noticed and shot me a strange look when I refused the extra portions he offered me. "Jeez, you're sober. You in love?" He broke down in disbelieving laughter at his own cleverness. I had looked away and poked the meat on my plate around with my fork.

Eva was different. She hadn't said anything, hadn't made any suggestion that she thought something was wrong, but I knew better. The girl was a snake, she saw everything, _knew_ everything. It was her power after all. While Evan had super strength she knew every little detail in the lives of everyone she knew. One handshake and she could sing a song your mother sang to you when you were a baby, repeat the words of a break up or copy a picture drawn by your son three years before. Very good for use on enemies, but I was feeling it. Any time I lied, said I was tired or mentioned a happening from before prison, she would narrow her ice blue eyes and cross reference in her cavernous brain. It was unnerving.

"Now Sean." She simpered, as she stopped me next to a tall red door. "I understand that you feel at odds here. You don't know what to do with yourself. You are a clever, savvy young man who had his life wrongfully stolen away from him, now it's time to get it back."

I didn't correct her but the word _wrongfully_ filled me with guilt as I pictured Sky Bright again in my mind. I pushed away the wash of fear and anger she'd felt and watched as Eva turned and unlocked the door with a string of keys on her belt. She pushed it open dramatically and swept her arms wide. "Welcome to the inside of The Cat House!"

My jaw dropped.

"It's a prison." I muttered.

. . . . . . . . . .

Karen's P.O.V.

The drug they'd given us after the showing was still showing its effects after three days. We walked around subdued and scuffing our feet on the floor. I spent the first day slapping myself before Tilda told me to 'shut up with that dam racket you bitch' and went back to her corner. My powers were dulled and feeling came to me muted and confused, feeling calmer when the guards came but sudden terror in the middle of the night.

And everywhere I looked, I hoped to see the man with the black hair. He'd heard me, I _knew_ it. But I didn't know where he was, or if he was coming. I could hear my dad in my head, laughing at the way I'd become so dependent on a boy. But, truthfully, in the state I was in, I wasn't going anywhere without help. And he was the one. The One. He would help me, all I needed was to find him.

I sat in my place by the bars in my cell, watching as people came and went. The drug was still in my body and I struggled to move much. Lenny was snoring quietly on the mattress, despite it being around midday.

"Now, we keep all the girls in age groups, it makes it easier to pull out the ones we have to show off." I heard a tinkling of a voice from around the corner and opened my heavy eyes slowly to see who it was. "Wouldn't want to spend forever finding the individual girls, now would we?"

There was a stunned silence from her partner as they rounded the bend. It was the blonde woman, the one who had known about my mother. She was walking with a man.

He had black hair.

A stunned expression.

Sad eyes.

I tried to sit up but the drug kept me firmly planted to the floor. I managed to throw my arm out of the cell, between the bars, and scrabble for him.

"Why are you doing this?" He murmured, stopping in front of us. He was facing the cell on the other side of the corridor and my arm reached to within half a metre of his leg.

"Doing what?" The blonde looked at him in perfectly feigned confusion.

"Keeping them like this, in cells, uniforms, it sinks in here. And they're drugged for God's sake!" The man sounded angry, and well he should. The women in that cell were lying like sponges on the floor, one of them drooling slightly onto the concrete.

"Oh Sean, _sweetie_! It's not _bad_ that we keep them like this. They're _criminals_ for heaven's sake. If we didn't have them then they'd be in prison anyway. Trust me, these are not the type of women you want to be around every day. Murderers, arsonists, blackmailers."

I was pressed up against the side of the bars now, my finger nails raking against the floor. My tongue felt like a weight in my mouth, letting out a tiny squeak when the nail on my index finger snapped in two, gouging a slit into my flesh.

The man turned around in disgust at the women next to him.

And his eyes fell on me.

* * *

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**Please tell me what you thought. I'm not getting many reviews and I'm scared you've lost faith in me for giving up HIHTH and nearly stopping Snatching Sarah. Please reassure me or I wont have as much drive to write.**

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**XX**


	10. Subtle Conversations

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I was looking through my emails just now and I saw one from Dropsofjupiter1999. I read it, smiled and polished off a chapter in one go. It was wierd. So, this is for her for making me write before I planned to. Thank you!**

**Today's recomendation is: True Love and A Haunting Past - by book-lover-book. It's sooooooooo good! I loved it. Give it a read and tell her what you thought!**

**Hope you like this one. Finally some Sean/Karen bits.**

* * *

Sean's P.O.V.

I had to stop myself from lunging for her that second. Eva's eagle eyes were fixed on my back as I stared at this beautiful girl on the floor of the cell in front of me.

It was her.

My soulfinder was half a metre away from me and I couldn't hold her. It would be dangerous for me to show any kind of different attention to her in front of Eva. One wrong look or touch would probably put my soulfinder in solitary confinement for the rest of her life so as not to 'endanger Sean's trust in the system.' Honestly, I trusted Eva as far as I could throw her.

"Sean?" Eva touched my sleeve gently and gave me a sweet smile. It was the smile a cobra gives a mouse when it's completely in their power.

I shrugged her off and bent down, staring intently as the woman in front of me. She was drinking me in, her hand scrabbling at the ground. I fought the urge to take her thin one in mine, but with the viper standing behind me I couldn't risk it.

_Don't, she'll see_. I whispered in my head, afraid that somehow, Eva would hear the words.

The scrabbling stopped and the beautiful, soft, loving eyes flicked up to the blond behind me.

_Got it. That wouldn't be good_. The voice in my head was a mixture of understanding, desperation and contentment. I smiled softly and she gave me the hint of one back. I longed to make her smile properly, without caution and in pure happiness. But if I was going to do that I needed to get her out of here.

"Why are they so tired?" I asked Eva, keeping an eye on my soulfinder but feigning mild curiosity.

"We drugged them." Eva said simply, like she was mentioning a walk to the park. "There's a lot of power in these walls and we wouldn't want a horde of murderesses getting loose because they used their powers badly. It just takes the edge off their abilities."

_Murderesses? That's rich coming from her._ The voice sounded again in my head, making me sure once and for all that the blonde twins were lying.

_I don't believe her, but she's good at that kind of thing._ I answered quietly back.

"How do you find them?" I asked.

Eva checked her nails indifferently. "We have contacts."

There was a snort behind me, quickly covered up under a cough. _They break into our houses, kill our fathers and brothers and steal all the women._

I was stunned. It was so _brutal_, so sudden. There was no finesse, no planning about these said missions. Just in, get the girls, kill family and out. Just the kind of thing Evan would love.

_I'm sorry, is that what happened to you?_ It was killing me that I could kneel here, talking to my soulfinder but not look at her properly, not hold her like my arms ached to do, not kiss her and find out everything about her.

_Yup. My mum's here somewhere. But they killed my dad and brother._

"Shall we go Sean? I need to show you the rest of the compound." Eva was getting impatient.

I shrugged it off. "Talk to me about these ones. What's their stories?" I said, pointing at the girls in the cell with my soulfinder.

Eva shrugged. "Lenny, Tilda and Karen. They're from the local prison. Tilda's in for theft, Lenny for embezzlement of her employer and Karen tortured her mother before killing her. They were sent here after we found out they were savants."

_Bitch!_ The girl's voice was righteously angry. _They killed my family. I was just minding my own business. And Lenny's lovely! She's lying._

_I know. It's all bullshit. I believe you, I promise._ I tried to keep the conversation with Eva going to talk more to my soulfinder. _You're Karen right?_

_Yup, and you're Sean?_ She seemed tired, her eyes closed slowly to save energy and she looked dead to the world but for the powerful, caring imprint she left on my brain.

_Hi, I've been looking for you._

A flicker of a smile. _Me too. What took you so long?_

"Sean?" Eva was tapping her foot pretentiously. "I know this is sudden, but we need your answer about the job."

_Job?_ Karen sounded slightly confused. _What job? Do you work here?!_

I tried to control the two conversations' I was involved with. The over activity and confusion was making my brain stretch and a head ache started behind my eyes. "Look, Eva. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with keeping the women like this." To answer Karen I hurried to explain. _I've just been let out of prison and I need work. I don't like this but it may be the only chance I get to help you get out._

There was a judgmental silence from her.

"What's wrong about it?" Eva sounded cross now. "They would be in prison, but they're here. We keep them no differently from how they would be outside, and we give them to their soulfinders if they come. It's a better deal all round. And don't forget, Sean, you were in their place not long ago. You don't have many other job opportunities."

_You were in prison?_ Karen sounded slightly on guard and my heart squeezed extra tightly with worry. _What for?_

I winced before answering. _Kidnapping and conspiracy to murder._ I said quietly.

_Oh._

_I can explain!_ I hurried to retrieve what we had.

_Who was it?_ She asked suddenly and resolutely, like she was trying hard to be unbiased.

_Sky Bright._ I said quietly, the image of the crying girl seared onto my mind. _I was working with my father, Daniel Kelly. We wanted to take down the Benedict family and the best way to do that was to go through one of their soulfinders. Sky was the youngest._

Karen remained silent.

_It was only after meeting this guy in prison that I fully understood what I had done. I felt awful about it. The feeling she had, the anger, sadness, fear. It left this massive hole in me, even after she was back with her family. I felt so guilty and I can't make it up to them._

I looked down at Karen, the one person in this world I needed to trust me the most.

She stayed silent.

**Karen's P.O.V.**

He meant it.

He _was_ sorry. His guilt and sadness was radiating off him in waves, smothering anything else. I caught pictures of this girl. This Sky Bright. She was young, scared, she looked like a deer in headlights. And Sean and his father had walked all over her.

But I forgave him. Instinctively, even thought my head was berating me for the stupidity.

He was sorry. He wanted to help.

And I believed him.

"Sean, are you going to take the job?" The blonde, Eva, was tapping her high heeled toe and crossed her arms.

Sean was staring at me desperately.

_I believe you_. I murmured in my head.

His face relaxed slightly and I accepted the thanks he gave me.

"Yes. I'll take it." He said quietly. "I don't have much of a choice."

Eva smile triumphantly and lead him away down the hall. I felt a pang as he left, on the arm of that wasp. I had only just found him and he was trying so hard to be good.

_I'll get you out of here._ He promised, not daring to look back for fear of Eva noticing.

_I'll look out for you._ I promised.

* * *

**Good?**

**I need to know what you thought to boost the amount of reviews here. I'm starting to panic.**

**Thanks!**

**See you soon!**

**XX**


	11. Conflicted

**I know, I hate me too. I did promise to write more during the half term but when I posted the last chapter I forgot how long it had been between that one and what day it was so I ended up leaving it a week. I'm so sorry. I am awful at this. But I discovered Castle yesterday and am obsessed. I love Nathan Fillion. Have you Castle fans seen Firefly? He's awesome in that too so you have to see it.**

**Remember to check out how Hand In Hand To Hell's getting on on . 's account. She's really taken it off somewhere I wasnt expecting so please go and have a look.**

**Hope you like this one!**

* * *

Two days of no Sean sightings and I was freaking out. It had been five days after the showing to Mr Gregory Trent and the drugs had finally started to wear off. Lenny didn't seem angry in any way, just resigned. That worried me even more, she shouldn't be ok that people were drugging us.

"They do it all the time." She said, shrugging when I got the strength to ask her. She looked tired, despite having slept for pretty much a week. "They want to keep us passive."

"Yeah they do!" I started pacing, throwing the effects of the drug away from me in disgust. "They're keeping us here like animals and I can't _believe_ you are just letting them do it!"

Lenny looked up at me in surprise. "Karen, that's not fair. You can't do anything either. Don't yell at me just because I don't rage out loud."

I sat heavily on my mattress and sighed, rubbing my face. Mum would know what to do. I felt physical pain knowing she was in here somewhere, suffering as much as I was with no knowledge of where I was.

"Ignore her Lenny." Tilda spat from her corner. "That's what I do. Little Miss Revolution gives me a headache."

"No I don't." I snapped back. "The withdrawal symptoms do that perfectly well on their own."

Lenny winced visibly, "Karen, that's a bit harsh."

I watched as Tilda stared blankly at me.

"Take that back." She snarled suddenly, her mask of indifference breaking open as her lip curled.

"No." I whispered. "I don't _care_ what you think of me Tilda. I really don't. But I am trying to help the people here and I will feel really crappy if I don't get you out too."

She was still glaring at me.

"I can _help_ you Tilda." I said with renewed passion. "You know I can."

She snorted and went back to her nails but I knew I'd hit a nerve. The anger was draining out of her, like every other emotion I'd seen her show.

I slumped against the wall, sick of its cold feel against my back. I'd sat here so often in the past fortnight that I'd nearly worn a patch into the concrete.

"I promise I'll get you out of here." I said shallowly, my voice breaking over the promise that seemed further away every time I said it.

Tilda looked up at me, her eyes showing her usual blank slate appearance. "You keep saying that." She said. "But we're still here, aren't we?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**Sean's P.O.V.**

"All I'm saying is that we need to keep up appearances." I was following Evan briskly with a sheaf of files in my hands. "We can't have the girls all drooping and starving themselves because they think they're families are dead."

Evan sighed, making me feel like I was a school kid talking to the headmaster. "Sean, most of their families _are_ dead. That's why they're here. They're families owed us something and we took it back."

I ran in front of him and he stopped to face me. "Look," I tried to be reasonable, this could be the only way to help find Karen's mother. "Why don't we just show the girls that there is a reason to stay happy and healthy? Otherwise they could hurt themselves."

Evan snatched the files in his beefy hands and flicked through them fast. "Where did you get these?" He said suspiciously.

I shrugged and acted unconcerned. "Eva showed me around her office and told me to snoop. So, these are the girls who have family in The Cat House. I think we should organise small meetings with them, just so they know that they have some reason to be here."

Evan looked at me sceptically. "Wouldn't it just persuade them to try and leave?"

I shrugged. "How could they? They're weak and scared with no money, no clothes, no friends. Where would they go? You destroyed their homes."

Evan's hands stopped rustling through the file and he narrowed his eyes at me. "Do you _pity_ them?!"

I frowned. "What? Well, don't you?"

He shook his head. "It's what's best for the Savant population. Having all the savant women here makes it easier to find them."

I fought the urge to yell at him. "Have you looked for yours here?"

Evan nodded. "Yup, every time a twenty six year old comes in I have a look at her, and a chat. Seen hundreds coming through, not one of them is my girl."

I saw a wistful look come across the tall, meaty man's face and felt slightly guilty. I'd found my soulfinder with relative ease once I arrived here, but Evan had been searching for months.

An idea sprang to my mind. "Can I have a look at some of the twenty four year olds?"

Evan nodded. "Sure, that's why they're here after all." He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. I laughed along, the disgust only just hidden. I sometimes wondered whether Evan and his sister really knew what they were saying. It went against all logic to have women trapped like this. No savant would want their soulfinder to be treated like this and the hypocrisy of keeping the women like this made me mentally gag.

I smiled at the tall, bouncer-esque man in front of me. "Ok, can I see, like, five of the twenty four year olds? Possibly the ones in cell….339?" I looked down at the file Evan had returned to me and pretended not to be crossing my fingers.

Evan twisted his neck to look at the names in front of me. "Tilda, Lenny and Karen. Gotcha, I'll chat to Eva about getting a meeting for you."

I nodded, trying to hide the colour in my newly bright face and the way my hands started trembling. "Thanks Evan."

He smiled and slapped my shoulder. "Good luck mate. I hope you find her."

I walked away with my mind in conflicted turmoil. One minute Evan and his sister intimidated and worried me. Their strange ethical views, their being unconcerned with the way the girls were treated, their refusal to worry about it. I almost wondered if they knew that these girls were not the criminals they were portrayed to be. My overly trusting mind wanted to believe that they didn't know, that they'd been told what to believe and had welcomed it with open arms. Then sometimes I thought the opposite. Eva was too clever to be duped into believing a lie, she must know the truth and yet stayed here.

I gave up trying to think about it.

Later that evening when the three girls were ushered into my new office I waved the guard away without looking at them. She was right there and I had to finish writing a sentence before standing up and turning to face her.

Karen was wrapped in my arms within a second, her head fitting perfectly against my chest and the warmth of her body in my arms.

I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes.

_I missed you_, I said quietly, oblivious of the other two girls, staring in shock at us.

Karen pressed her face closer to my chest. _I missed you too._ She said.

* * *

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**Reviews have been low so I'm worrying. Please tell me what you think, even if it's just to rage at my lateness.**

**Now, back to Castle.**

**XXX**


	12. Secret Meeting

**Hi Guys!**

**So, because I left it late last time I wrote this one today instead of tomorrow, I didn't think you would mind.**

**Reviews have gone up slightly and I love you for it but I still need to know what you are thinking so I can direct the story from there. If I dont have your opinion I might make Tilda marry Sean. That would be bad.**

**Just an update, Hand In Hand To Hell is written on FindingSky4Lyfe account, not the way I was spelling it last time. She has commented a couple of times so you could find her through reviews.**

**Hope you like this one, it finally gets things moving a bit.**

* * *

Karen's P.O.V.

"What the hell is going on?!" Tilda's outraged voice nearly yelled behind us as I snatched a few precious moments in Sean's tight embrace.

I sighed and pulled away so I could fess up to my two startled friends. "Guys, this is Sean."

"Too right!" Tilda was backing away from us, shooting glances at the door. "He works for _them_, Karen. What are you _doing_?"

Lenny's mind was turmoil of confusion, fear and worry. "Karen, what's going on?"

I held up my hands and stepped towards them. "Ssh, it's all right. Sean's a good guy."

Sean nodded behind me and I had to stifle a smile.

"Oh, ok, and how do you know _that_?" Tilda seemed to have gotten over her silent protest to my presence and was being very vocal in her distaste of the situation.

I looked over my shoulder and Sean shared a loving, purely happy look. "He's my soulfinder."

There was a stunned silence before Tilda smacked her thighs and turned away. "_Shit_." Her voice was ragged and I could see the despair and outraged jealousy in her mind.

I stepped towards her hesitantly and tried to reach for her. "Tilda, he can get us out of here."

She flinched when my hands touched her back and sent a glare in Sean's direction. "Yeah, or he could leave us to rot while he whisks you away to Paradise." She let out a huff. "You don't _know_ him Karen."

"Look," Sean stepped forward and held up his hands in surrender. "I know this must be horrible for you, all stuck in this lace. But trust me, I know what it's like to be behind bars. My record isn't exactly scot free but even _I _know that this is wrong."

Lenny's shoulders were hunched against the unfamiliar conversation. "What do you mean, were you in prison?"

Sean nodded and his mind clenched in anger at himself and the guilt came again.

Tilda sent a _there, you see?_ look at me and I shook my head at her. "Sean is on the inside yes, but he's only just got here and is trying to work out a way to shut this place down."

Tilda snorted and looked away. "How?"

Sean went back to his desk and pulled out a file from a drawer. "This is a list of every girl in the compound. All their ages, medical records, powers, family, infractions, everything."

I nearly streaked over to the desk, flicking through the pages until I found my mum's name.

_Jude Bolton, 59, Power: can implant memories. Daughter: Karen Bolton, 24._

I sighed with relief. "Oh thank God! She's still alive."

Sean looked over my shoulder. "That's your mum? Ok, I'll see what I can do."

I looked up at him in surprise. "You can do that? You can get a meeting with my mum?!"

He nodded. "Yup, I'm trying to get all the families to meet. Under supervision unfortunately but it might just rile some of them up. I'm hoping that you might take that anger on in private and help them rebel against the system."

I nodded, secretly aching for my mum again. I missed her so much it hurt. Only finding Sean have relieved the pain but I needed to grieve with her for Dad and Tom.

"I'm also trying to find family _outside_ The Cat House to see if I can get some support in bringing it down."

I threw my arms around his neck and held him tightly. "You are so amazing." I whispered. "I can't believe I found you."

He hugged me back, almost as if he was trying to get the feel of me in case we were ever apart. Like he was drinking me in for the short time we had.

"You need to go." He said quietly into my shoulder. "The guard will come in in a second."

I pulled myself reluctantly away. "_Please_ get help for us." I said, holding his hand tightly, the rough feel of his skin and the gentle way he pressed my hand in his.

He nodded, staring into my eyes. The pain I'd seen last time was gone, he was completely free of any worry. Only the guilt of his crime remained, dulled slightly by not concentrating on it. "I will. I already have some people in mind. I owe them a favour. But I can't guarantee that they'll talk to me."

I smiled encouragingly, despite the sharp knock on the door telling us our time was up. "I believe in you."

I let go in time for the door to swing open and the two blonde siblings look in. The beefy male looked us over and turned to Sean. "Any luck Kelly?"

Tilda and Lenny stifled a gasp at Sean's last name but Sean covered it by shaking his head sadly.

Eva cooed and went over to hug him. "Oh Sweetheart! Don't worry, you still have all the others to look through."

I looked away.

Back in our cell Lenny was shaking with the shock of it all. Tilda was on a rage, something I'd never seen her do.

"How could you _do_ this to us?!" She spat at me in my corner. "He's a Kelly. His father financed this place. He's the reason we're all _here_!"

I sighed and pushed my newly washed hair out of my eyes. It had been washed specially to see Sean and in a way I was grateful. I didn't know him well enough to appear before him covering in crime and still be appealing. "But Sean's different. _He_ didn't give the money, his father did."

Tilda snorted with laughter. "But he works here. And he told us he was in prison, do you even know _why_?!"

I sat next to Lenny and wrapped an arm around her shivering shoulders. "Yes, he told me the first time we talked."

Tilda raised an accusatory eyebrow. "Oh really? And what was he in there for, may I ask."

I'd had enough. She's never trust either of us if she knew so I decided to keep it between me and Sean. "You may ask but I'm not telling you."

She threw up her hands and turned to Lenny. "You see Lenny? I knew we couldn't trust her. All she wants is to get out of here. She doesn't care about us at all."

Lenny frowned. "Just give it a rest Tilda. You're just jealous that she found her soulfinder and you haven't."

Tilda looked shocked at this straight answer and sat down on her mattress. "I'd rather stay soulfinder-less for ever than have a treacherous criminal for one."

But that was the moment when a guard opened the gate and announced. "Tilda, Mr Sean Kelly has arranged for you to see your sister."

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**Dun Dun Daaaaaaa!**

**Please review so I know how to do this.**

**Love You!**

**XX**


	13. Recruiting

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I know I left it at a bit of a cliffhanger last time. I thought it might help make Tilda human if we knw her story. And I have a plan for the rest of this so it'll start moving along quicker now.**

**And, THIS IS AN ARGENT ANNOUNCMENT, you all have to go out and read Temeraire by Naomi Novik. It is possibly the best series I have ever read and it sucks that no one knows about it. If you love fantasy then it has dragons for you, if you love history, it's set during the Napoleonic war. There's fighting, ships, dragons, awesome characters etc. What more could you want?**

**So, I want anyone who has read this beauty of a series to talk to me (I need someone to fangirl with) and the rest, to read it. Please?**

**Remember to check out Hand In Hand To Hell on FindingSky4Life account. She's done amazingly and it's getting so tense!**

* * *

When Tilda slunk back into the cell an hour after she left with the guard her face told tales about what she'd been through. Tears had cleaned track marks down her cheeks and her lips were red and chapped from biting them.

Lenny and I sat up, making room for her on the mattress. "You alright?" Lenny reached up as Tilda slumped down in between us.

She sighed, rubbing her face with grimy hands. She nodded stoically but I could see how drained and heartbroken she was. Ironically, it was the one time I'd seen her true feeling on display, with no thought to how she appeared to others.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Lenny pulled one of our thin blankets over Tilda's shoulders and we tucked it around her arms.

Tilda laughed bitterly. "Well, to be fair I haven't been an open book to you."

Lenny smiled. "But you saw her?"

Tilda nodded. "For the first time in four years. She's so small."

Lenny and I exchanged a glance over her head. Four years without seeing your sister. My mind briefly panged over Tom's death but I pulled it back to what Tilda was saying.

"She was only sixteen when they took us. She was so brave, standing up to them, making out like she could protect the family. But they've _broken_ her." A tear trawled down her cheek, her emotion finally breaking the hard shell around her. "She didn't recognise me at first, they've used her mind as a playground."

She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. I carefully wrapped an arm around her and she leant slightly so she could cry into my shoulder. I rocked, like my mum used to and hummed softly, trying to soothe her. Lenny's eyes were full of tears, she chewed her lip to stop herself bursting into tears.

Tilda breathed deeply and pulled back, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"Karen, are you _positive_ that you can get us out of here?" She looked me straight in the eye.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I am. But I'm going to need your full cooperation."

Tilda smiled. "I can do that, I need to get Kelsie out of here."

Lenny leant forward. "Is Kelsie your sister?"

Tilda nodded. "Right Karen, we both know that I'm not exactly the sanest person in the world and don't think I haven't seen you itching to explore in here." She tapped the side of her head. "But if it'll get us out of here then you can have full rein."

I smiled and help out my hand. "I'm not going to change anything, just see where the problem is and see if I can fix it."

The thin, scrawny hand slipped into mine easily and she closed her eyes tight. "Go for it."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

**Sean's P.O.V.**

Start arranging meeting with inside families

Find Karen's mum

Arrange meeting with Karen and Jude

Explain The Plan to them

Find Friends outside

Arrange break out

I sighed and rubbed my hair away from my eyes. It all seemed to be one loophole after another, problem after problem.

A guard knocked on my office door and I horridly hid the list in front of me before he poked his head around. "That woman you wanted to see Sir."

I nodded and waved for him to bring the woman in. She hobbled after him, the sudden imprisonment taking its toll on her. Her hair was streaked with grey and she'd had a beating from a jealous inmate.

I nodded for the guard to leave, the woman looked worried and her shoulders hunched.

"I'm not going to hurt you Mrs Bolton." I said gently and pulled out a chair. She looked startled and apprehensive at it, like it was a trap.

"It's ok, I just want to talk to you about Karen."

Her head flicked up and she sat eagerly, waiting for news. "Karen? Is she alright, where is she? Has she got out?"

I handed her a glass of water from the jug on my desk and watched while she drank with shaking hands. "Mrs Bolton, I'm Karen's soulfinder."

She froze. "You?"

I nodded. Her confusion and worry was evident, her daughter was soulfinder to someone who worked in the place where they were imprisoned.

I carried on. "My name's Sean. I just wanted you to know that I care about Karen a huge amount and will do anything in my power to get her, and you, out of here. I can tell you she is safe, and is doing what she can to spread anger among the girls. We _will_ get you out of here."

Jude Bolton nodded slowly, holding the glass in shaking hands. "Can I see her?"

I smiled. "There's a meeting arranged for the day after tomorrow, I'm organising them for all the families on the inside."

She gasped and her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you." She murmured behind a raised hand. "Thank you."

I patted her shoulder. "Karen loves you, and I love her. It was my pleasure to help."

After Jude was taken back to her cell in tears I grabbed my coat, a file from my desk and went to find Evan. He was sitting at a table on one of the cell junctions, playing poker with a few of the guards. Having grown up in casinos I nearly laughed at the open cheating and played by ear rules. "Evan, I need you to cover for me."

He looked up, "What?"

I pulled on my coat and pretended to be in a hurry. "There's been a development with my sister's court sentence and I need to see her."

Evan nodded. "Of course, you go, don't hurry back, take as long as you need." He settled back into the game. "Give my love to Maria."

I was already running down a corridor, ignoring the clawing hands from some of the more alive girls.

I jumped into my dad's jeep that I'd commandeered and pulled out of the Compound car park after flashing my card at a gate guard. The amount of protection here was ridiculous, surely not all these guards were loyal to the system. I made a mental note to look into that.

My phone rang a few times on the way, signalling Eva's knowledge of my journey. I left them unanswered, not wanting The Snake to suspect anything.

It took the rest of the day and all of the night driving, my car getting steadily littered with energy drinks and crisp packets, the radio blaring louder as my eyes itched. I slept for two hours on the border of Utah and Colorado, after my body mutinied against me.

It was a bright but chilly Saturday morning when I pulled up in front of a large rustic house in the woods but a sleepy little town. With the trees rustling around me the car seemed eerily quiet.

I sat there in silence, trying to drum up all the courage I had.

Images of a scared blonde girl with blue eyes and a big heart flashed through my mind.

This is not going to go well.

But it had to be done, for Karen.

I pushed open the door, walked ten paces, and knocked three times on the door of the Benedict Family.

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**Aaaaah!**

**Sorry, another cliffhanger.**

**Please review and fangirl with me! My friend Elisabeth told me she was surprised about how loyal and lovely my readers were and I felt my heart swell. I love you all, you make me feel great about what I do.**

**See you soon!**

**XX**


	14. Unlikely Allies

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I sat down an hour ago and polished this off quite quickly. It helped that the last one was a cliffhanger and I'd been looking forward to this one for a while.**

**This one if for dropsofjupiter1999, my only review from the last one. Really I'm hurt. Only one?! It worried me.**

**Hope you like this one. Time for Sean to eat some Humble Pie.**

* * *

Sean's P.O.V.

I didn't really see the door open. One minute I was standing on the wooden porch of a family who hated me, the next I was pinned twenty metres up the trunk of a pine tree with telekinesis force, branches scratching my face and digging into my sides.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here Kelly." A voice growled from the ground. I looked down, scrabbling to keep myself up if they decided to drop me. Zed Benedict was striding towards me, followed by all the males of his family. The women were back on the porch, standing protectively in front of Sky, the blonde girl I'd hurt. They were staring in open hate for me, only a curly haired girl and an Egyptian woman looking slightly confused.

"I need your help." I said, as clearly as I could when at any moment the young man below could let me fall and break my neck.

There was a bitter laugh of disbelief from the crowd of people below me. The Benedict clan had grown by three since the last time I'd seen them. I felt happy for them, honestly I did, though they'd never believe me if I told them.

The women came over once Saul motioned the all clear. "Did he say he needed our _help_?!" The tiny mother Karla looked so outraged she picked up a pine cone to throw at me. I felt it hit my hip bone hard and I winced. She looked openly better and wrapped Sky in her arms.

Saul looked lovingly at his wife before clearing his throat and looking up at me. "What do you want Kelly?"

I looked down, avoiding the large blue eyes of Sky Bright. "I need your help. _Please_, it's important."

Zed hardened his telekinetic hold on my chest and I gasped at the pain. Will, an older, calmer brother, tapped his shoulder and shook his head. "Calm down, he's not going anywhere."

The youngest brother pushed Will away and went to fold Sky in his arms. She stepped into his embrace but was looking up at me with a mixture of fear, defiance and confusion. She said something to Zed but it was so quiet I couldn't hear. He shook his head and held her tighter.

"Why should we help _you_?" Victor, an angry looking man about my age, growled. "You've done nothing by bad to this family. You nearly killed Sky and framed Zed and Xav."

"Not to mention you're just a bit of an arse." Xav piped up from the group. There was a trickle of laughter that was too muted by anger to make much damage.

"I don't need your help for _me_." I said loudly, trying to let them all hear how genuine I was. "But there are 500 women who would be desperate for it."

The talking broke off suddenly as they took in what I said.

"Bullshit." The curly haired girl said firmly.

"Crystal, there's no need for that." The Egyptian woman chided. "We don't know anything about this."

Crystal held up her hands. "Oh come _on_ Diamond. This is the guy who tried to _kill_ Sky. And he just shows up after only _three_ years in prison and asks for our _help_? I'm calling a trap even if no one else does."

I loosened the grip of my hand, letting the bag I'd been holding fall to the ground. They watched it fall and I wondered if my phone would be all right. "There's a file in there with the story of 500 women and girls all being held in prison cells and sold to their soulfinders. It's all there. I promise."

Yves, the quieter, clever one, walked forward slowly and pulled out the file while his family looked over his shoulder. There was a brief snatch of murmuring before the force on my chest lifted and I dropped haphazardly to the ground.

Immediately I was pulled up by Zed and smashed against the tree. The boy had grown up while I was in prison, he looked older, wiser and furious. "What kind of game are you playing Kelly?" he spat.

"He's telling the truth, Zed." Yves glanced up, not really caring about his brother's violence. "It's all here."

Karla was visibly shaken at the thought of all those women in prison. She looked at me with eyes full of distrust and worry. "What _is _this place?" She breathed.

I shrugged Zed off and he stepped back in font of Sky, who looked slightly cross to be protected.

"They call it The Cat House." I began, showing them the gate pass from my pocket and the small flyer that they handed out. "They say it's a hotel where female Savants can meet their potential soulfinders. But in reality they're kept in tiny cells, not fed properly, kept apart from their families, given one uniform to wear all the time, and only cleaned when they're being shown off." I sighed and dropped my head, feeling the unbearable guilt of leaving Karen in the place where she wasn't safe.

The whole family looked devastated. "So, why are _you_ here?" Trace asked accusingly.

The emotion broke over me. I felt my eyes fill with tears and blinked fats to get rid of them. "Because my soulfinder's there. Karen, she's been trapped there for a couple of weeks now and I _have_ to get her out." I sighed and rubbed my face. "I know you don't trust me. I know _you_ hate me." I nodded at Sky. "But you have to believe me when I say that I am beyond sorry. I hate what I did, it haunts me. Prison was the changing point for me but I got in with some 'old friends' who hooked me into The Cat House. It was only meeting Karen that forced me to stay there. I had to get her and the rest of them out."

The family all snorted with laughter at my pathetic excuse for a 'lie'.

"He's telling the truth." A small voice broke through it.

I looked up and saw Sky pushing past Zed and walking towards me. I looked away from her face as she stood in front of me.

"He means _every_ word, even the one's he can't say." She smiled at me. She actually _smiled._ "You've changed Sean Kelly."

There was a stunned silence as the rest of her family watched on.

I glanced at her but couldn't quite meet her eyes yet. "It's Sean Danes now. I changed my name when they let me out of prison."

She looked over her shoulder and nodded at the others. Zed looked surly and distrusting.

"You really love her." Crystal came and stood next to Sky. "I can see it. I'm a soulseeker and you _really_ love Karen."

I nodded mutely. But this girl, Crystal, could change everything. Now we could help those women to find their soulfinders once we got them out.

"I didn't know who else to come to for help." I said, my worry showing in my voice. "I know you _can_ help and I needed to at least try. I have a plan that I think could actually work." I stopped to breathe deeply. "And I'm so sorry. Really, I can't _bear _what I did, and if you give me a chance I will do _everything_ I can to prove to you that I mean what I'm saying."

I looked desperately at Sky.

She smiled and motioned toward the house. "I still don't trust you Sean. But I can tell you mean every word. Now, why don't you come inside and you can tell us about this plan of yours."

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**Please review? Honestly please.**

**I know I say it a lot but I need reviews to know what you guys are thinking. How can I make this a good story if I dont know what you want? Go with me here and write in the box below.**

**Thanks and see you next weekend.**

**XX**


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